


Walter

by MiteyMidget



Series: Reunion 'verse [7]
Category: Drake & Josh
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-10-31 20:03:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10906491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiteyMidget/pseuds/MiteyMidget
Summary: AU, Future fic. It's Drake's turn to meet Josh's dad. Suddenly Josh's plight the day before is a lot less amusing.





	Walter

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to LJ in December of 2008. Beta credit goes to amberdowny.

Sunday doesn't go quite as smoothly as the day before. Drake's nervous. Maybe it's not as physically apparent as it was for Josh, but Drake's so nervous he feels nauseous. He hasn't done this in a long time, not since high school, and even then he'd never really cared. So what if he'd made a bad impression on some girl's parents? Chances were she wouldn't be his girlfriend a week later. 

Meeting Josh's dad is different. This, tonight, matters. 

He dresses in slacks, a button down and a blazer, fusses with his hair, asks Josh questions until the other man is answering in short, one and two word sentences. Drake knows he's being ridiculous, that he probably seems like some prom date looking to get laid at the end of the night, but he just can't help it. 

Josh drives Drake's Mercedes because he knows the way and the look he sends when Drake tosses him the keys is enough to draw out a chuckle. Josh is not a stereotypical manly-man (not girly, either,) but sometimes he'll react to something like this, like you half expect him to pull out a beer and start grunting like Tim Allen. Even in the middle of a lecture about all of the safety features Drake's car is apparently lacking, there's still something reverent in the way Josh grips the steering wheel. 

So Drake lets Josh geek out over his car, because it's at least a distraction, right? If he's too busy watching Josh fondling his car, thinking about what it might be like to tell Josh to just pull over and then push him against door, maybe flip the seat back and crawl into his lap, well at least he's not agonizing over what's to come. It's probably not the most appropriate train of thought, given where they're headed, but he's only a man and the sight of Josh's hand on the gear-shift is enough to make even the most pious mind wander. 

By the time they've reached their destination, Josh is fidgeting a little under Drake's hungry gaze, face flushed. 

"Jesus," Josh mutters when the car is safely parked. He hardly ever swears and Drake grins at the fact that he's driven Josh to it just by staring. "Don't look so smug. We'll be in there at least a couple hours and I know for a fact I have more self-control than you." 

"Not by much," Drake says, and grins wider. 

Josh scowls and slips out of the car. Drake follows, taking the chance to study the building Josh's dad lives in. It's an apartment building, not the bungalow where Josh grew up. It's a little disappointing not to be able to see that, like Josh had been able to see Drake's childhood bedroom. Though if Mr Nichols is anything like Josh, there will be pictures. 

Josh has a key and he lets them in, only knocking at the apartment door to announce their presence. A muffled voice calls for them to come in and Drake feels his heart stutter a little in his chest as the door swings wide open and they step inside. 

Mr Nichols is just stepping out of what Drake assumes is the kitchen, still pulling an oven mitt from one hand. Like that he looks like Josh, though he's stout where Josh is solid. His hair is brown that's going to silver rather than Josh's black and his eyes are a shade of brown lighter than Drake’s, but he has an open, kind face and Drake can see where Josh gets it from. 

As he moves forward he takes in Drake, expression wary but welcoming, like he's not quite sure about Drake, but he's making the effort for Josh. There's nothing overtly negative about that look, but it makes Drake even more nervous. He'd laughed at Josh's behaviour yesterday, but he's not laughing anymore. 

Swallowing down his apprehension, Drake offers his hand to Josh's dad. "It's nice to meet you, sir." 

Some of the wariness lifts from Mr Nichols expression and even that little bit is a relief. He takes Drake's hand and shakes it, the same firm press of fingers that Drake remembers from Josh that first night they met for dinner. "Drake. I've been hearing a lot about you since Tuesday." 

Drake tries to smile at that, but he's not sure that he's actually able to pull it off. Been hearing a lot about him from who, he wonders. Josh or everyone else? There's a lot of speculation flying about right now, which Josh says he's been ignoring, but Mr Nichols is an entirely different story. Some of it's not pretty. 

"You cooked?" Josh asks his dad, incredulous. 

"I can cook," his dad says, narrow-eyed and offended. 

"Can't be any worse than me," Drake jokes. He's rewarded for the effort when Mr Nichols smiles back at him. 

Josh sends Drake a look that speaks of many favours some time in the future. He shakes his head ruefully before his father notices. "You're both hopeless in the kitchen." 

"Good thing we have you here to cook for us, then," Drake says cheekily. 

Mr Nichols looks vaguely uncomfortable with being included in that, but he's quick to brush it off. "Not this time," he says, beaming proudly and there's Josh's enthusiasm in the sloppy curve of his grin. "You can't ruin spaghetti, right?" 

Drake can think of several times he's ruined that particular dish, but he doesn't say as much, just follows Josh's lead and smiles in agreement. They're led into a small dining room and the table set for three, one seat at the head of the table and one to either side. Drake's suddenly uncomfortable to find that he'll be separated from Josh by an entire table. 

Josh drops into the seat to his dad’s right, leaving Drake to take the left a little awkwardly. Mr Nichols claps his hands in front of him and looks from one of them to the other. Then he says, "Well, I'll just go see if supper's done." 

He beats a hasty retreat off toward the kitchen. Josh sighs and slumps slightly in his chair, which is clearly not a good sign. 

"So, he's not thrilled, I take it," Drake says flippantly, trying to lighten the mood. It falls flat. 

Josh slumps further. "I'd guess not. He seemed fine about it over the phone." 

"That's the thing about the phone, Josh. It's not always easy to figure out what someone's feeling." And then he sighs too, and reaches over to squeeze one of Josh's hands. "Just give him a minute. He loves you." 

Josh looks up at him and his eyes are so blue that for a few breathless moments Drake feels like he's drowning. His grip on Drake's hand goes from slack to tight. "I want him to love you, too," he whispers. 

The simple words make something in Drake's chest constrict and he's flooded with warmth. God, he wants that, too. More for Josh than himself, he wants things to be easy with Josh's dad the same way they were easy between Josh and his mom. To be accepted as one of the family. Josh clearly respects his father's opinion, craves his acceptance. Facing the possibility that Mr Nichols may not be so accepting of their relationship is more daunting than Drake expected. 

Take a deep breath, Drake pries his hand away from Josh, lingering long enough that Josh won't take it as a sudden rejection. "Why don't you go help him in the kitchen? Maybe he just needs to talk to you without me being there." 

Josh's face brightens, much to Drake's relief. He smiles and climbs to his feet, dropping a quick kiss to Drake's lips before heading back toward the kitchen. Drake sits at the table and fidgets, listening to the low murmur of voices. He wonders what they're saying, wonders if sending Josh in there was really a good idea. It only takes a couple of minutes before he breaks and is out of his chair, ear against the wall separating kitchen and dining room. 

Their voices are muffled, but Drake can make out the words. 

Mr Nichols is talking, his tone a little strained. "It's not that I don't like Drake, okay? I like him just fine. I'm just worried about what this is doing to you. And what will happen when all this is over." He sighs. "I've read the papers. Drake's not really known for commitment. I don’t want to see your heart broken after all of this." 

Drake's breath catches at the mention of his past, and for the first time he feels almost ashamed of it. That it could be the thing that stops Josh’s dad from accepting him, out of everything else. Drake never quite looked at it that way before. He's never had to. 

He clenches his eyes shut, wonders what Josh has thought about him. He's not left to wonder long, though, because Josh jumps right in to defend him. 

"None of that matters," he says, and his voice is intense, rough with emotion. The sound of gravel on stone that he only gets when he's really feeling something. "I know about all of that. You think I didn't follow his career just like everyone else who went to school with him did? I know I'm naive sometimes, but not about this. 

"Ten months, dad. Ten months. That's huge. In high school Drake went through girls like they were tissue paper; used and discarded." Drake flinches at the harsh description. Some truths were better off not knowing. Still, he listens. "Please don't try to tell me what Drake was in the past, because I know, okay? I know and it doesn't matter, because he's here, with me, not out after another conquest. I trust him. You should trust me." 

And then there's silence, Josh and his dad just standing there in the kitchen without saying a damn thing. Drake draws away from the wall, about to return to his seat, to pretend he hadn’t been eavesdropping. That's when he hears it, Mr Nichols' sigh, a long breath of air and then... 

"Okay." 

"O-kay?" Josh sounds hopeful. Relieved. 

"Okay. I trust you," Mr Nichols extrapolates. "I trust you, Josh. You're my son. I just want you to be happy." 

"I am, Dad. No one's ever made me this happy, even with everything that's happened." 

Drake feels his knees go weak at the admission. He shoots out an arm to steady himself. That's... Okay, that's a little more than Drake was expecting. He stumbles back to the table and collapses into his chair. 

He makes Josh happy? That's awesome, right? Like, really, really awesome. Because Drake wants to make Josh happy. It's also a little daunting. He wants to keep making Josh happy, but he has no clue what he's even doing now that's managed to do it. How does he keep at it if he's not sure what he's doing right? 

On another hand, too, "happy" comes seriously close to a word they've been skirting around for the last few months. Drake thinks he's seen it in Josh's eyes and he's pretty damn sure it's there in his own, but this is the closest he's gotten to anything verbal. He's not sure how to feel about that, either, especially since he just got the information from eavesdropping on his boyfriend and his father. 

Wow. So, maybe that was a bad idea. 

Except he doesn't really regret it. 

When Josh and Mr Nichols finally come back through to the dining room, Drake's calmed himself enough that neither notices anything out of the ordinary. Josh is practically glowing and Mr Nichols looks less like he's about to bolt and more like he's actually the one who suggested they do this. They set dinner down in the middle of the table and take their seats. 

Mr Nichols' smiles are a little more genuine after that and he goes out of his way to ask Drake about himself. His career, his family, what his plans are for the future. The more they talk, the more he warms to Drake, melting by increments. It's kind of fascinating to watch. Drake feels a flare of pride that he's doing this, that he's able to do this. 

At the end of the night, Mr Nichols walks them to the door. Josh is beaming, smile stretched wide over his face, as Drake and his father share another of those firm handshakes. 

"Thank you for inviting me, Mr Nichols," Drake says. 

"Any time, Drake," Mr Nichols says sincerely. And then, "Call me Walter." 

"Sure. Walter." 

Walter. Awesome. 

Josh hugs his dad, promises he'll be back to visit and then they're out the door. Drake is still kind of reeling from it when he climbs into the passenger seat of the car. 

"Kind of overwhelming, huh?" 

Drake looks over, sees Josh watching him with understanding in his eyes. He nods. "Yeah. Kind of." 

Josh pats his knee and then turns to the wheel. "C'mon," he says. "Let's get home." 

Yeah, Drake thinks, eyes still on Josh. Home


End file.
